JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Friday that the "false promises" made by the BJP to the Shiv Sena might be the reason behind the political standoff in Maharashtra even after two weeks of the election result.
Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said "personal ambitions" were the reason for the rift between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena, accusing both the parties of making fun of the mandate given to them.
On Shiv Sena legislators being holed up in a Mumbai hotel to avoid possible poaching, Pilot said: "They are themselves running away fearing their own allies. This is a big joke with democracy."
Talking to the media at Circuit House in Jodhpur, Gehlot accused the BJP of disrespecting democracy.
"It is because of the false promises the BJP might have made to the Shiv Sena due to which the government could not be formed in Maharashtra even after 14 days of the election results in the state," Gehlot said.
"BJP has no faith in democracy.
"The party has done the same in formation of its governments in Manipur, Goa and Karnataka by circumventing the democratic values," the chief minister said.
The Shiv Sena has been maintaining that it was decided before the Lok Sabha election that there would be an equal sharing of posts and responsibilities between the party and the BJP.
The two parties are bickering over sharing the chief ministerial post in Maharashtra since October 24, when the poll results was announced.
Both have not staked claim to form the government together or separately till now.
The BJP has emerged as the single-largest party by winning 105 seats and ally Sena won 56 seats.
The NCP and the Congress won 54 and 44 seats respectively in the election to the 288-member assembly where the majority mark is 145.
Pilot said if any opposition party was not able to form a government in a state within two days of the election result, the BJP made satirical comments.
"Election results in Maharashtra are about to complete two weeks, but both the parties (Sena, BJP) are unable to form the government despite pre-poll coalition," the Rajasthan Congress chief told reporters in Jaipur.
"Due to personal ambitions, there has been a split in that alliance. Neither the Congress nor the NCP is responsible for that.
"They are themselves responsible for their policy, thinking and politics," Pilot said.
The deputy chief minister said the people are watching the "whole drama" and understands well that both the parties are "making fun" of mandate given to them.
He stressed that the BJP and its allies always have a rift when it comes to form a government, pointing to similar squabbles between the saffron party and allies like the Shiromani Akali Dal, Janata Dal (United) or the Shiv Sena.
"This is not a new thing. But the credibility and image of the BJP is constantly declining among the general public," Pilot said.
Meanwhile, state Congress supervisor Sajjan Verma held a meeting at the party office in Jaipur on Friday regarding the nationwide protest against the economic policies of the Centre.
"From today till November 15, the Congress will come on the roads and protest against the economic policies of the Centre," Verma said.
"We want to make people of the country know that such a situation of economic slowdown has come up due to wrong policies of the Centre."